trinacriabob

OK...let's see if I understand. LaCrosse came out in 2005. It remains "the same" for 2005, 2006, 2007. It features the same 3800 base engine. It will get face-lifted in 2008. They won't do that for just one year, so it should remain on W-platform through 2009. Most likely, it will feature the 3800 in its base form, so the engine will be here through 2008, probably 2009. In 2010, LaCrosse becomes a new platform vehicle. Grand Prix, also built at Oshawa, ought to follow a similar schedule. Whether the name plate remains is to be seen. Most likely, it will offer the 3800 on the same schedule as the LaCrosse. Lucerne will stay as we know for a while, given its newness. Thus, it looks like 3800 will stick around through 2008 or possibly through 2009. Does this seem like a correct interpretation? (If so, a mildly enhanced LaCrosse with a 3800 engine looks like it could he had?)

student

Read my post at the beginning of the thread. I'm asking about the production schedule, not for you to dog the engine. The pro and con anti-3800 tread gets awfully long. Let it rest.

Hawaiian lei

Mute...you've got this never-capitalized shorthand going that I guess some of us will never comprehend...did they teach you this in the 'hood or at Starbucks? :AH-HA_wink:

house

Southern belle

Ok, guys, no debating how good or how bad or how old...we've been down that road before. Through (inclusively speaking) which model year is this engine to be produced? I know that there was a guy who would show up once in a blue moon on the old website with all kinds of good technical info, including this engine, but he doesn't appear to be around. So, please post if you know some concrete info on the end of production for this engine. Gracias.

It's actually between a 4 and 5, so, to be conservative, I gave it a 4. Nice job!

Definitely better looking than the Enclave. This doesn't try to look like anything else. The front lamps are chiseled and interesting without being stupid. The overall appearance is proportionate and harmonious. Nice dashboard, too.

Well, I admit I do go to Wal-Mart. I don't like it much, but I do go. You can't ignore that some items are priced way low...all the time. For example, oatmeal which is $ 4.19 at Safeway (Quaker Oats) is $ 1.64 (Great Values Wal Mart brand), and on and on. I sort of know ahead of time which handful of items I plan to buy so I can run. Yes, indeed, it ain't the Safeway crowd at all. I am a little bit on the defense when I'm in a Wal-Mart as opposed to a more upscale store. Some of the help is nice, most are jaded. I wear the crappiest more torn jeans and t-shirt I can find to go in there. Funny story: One fine day, I was driving between Montreal and Quebec City and I am in Cap-de-la-Madeleine (sp). I was at a Wal-Mart where they only spoke French. I was looking for the Perce rock - the one with the hole you see in the postcards. Turns out it was all the way out at the Atlantic coast...another 750 miles or so, so I settled on going as far as Quebec City. This lady looked like something out of the 70s, with feathered hair and glasses with the temple bars on the bottom instead of the top, and like she could have been Erin Brockovich's best buddy, but she was actually really nice...asking all her co-workers if they knew of the big rock I was talking about. Does Target have groceries? If so, I may start to skip on Wal Mart.

The South

Spoken like a true Catholic.

Right. I find that the front seats are a little bit of a chore for me (at a 34 waist) to get in and out of because of the bolstering and slightly lower position than in, say, the MC. The rear seats are exactly as you say. Good call on the assist grip...I think you're right. It's a very likeable road car, though, even in base form. I have rented enough of these and put enough miles on them to get me from LA to NY and I'm now "working my way back." LOL. The O.C.s comment about the steering wheel and the speedo is funny. Yeah, I think a design that is a little tamer would have been nice. I wanted to say that, as I look at these, raising the roof an inch or two and having a backlite that isn't so flat would not have damaged the sportiness....just look at the previous gen. You do have to admit, however, that the overall shape and functionality of the dash is quite good. The other thing to keep in mind is that, for the overall level of amenities and type of car, it is very affordable in its base level form. Perhaps the chintziness, as is mentioned above, is what allows for it to be in this price point, though that is kind of sad.

Very well said, Cananopie. This car isn't looking to abandon its niche market (which is growing larger, by the way) while attracting some new buyers. This is a car that isn't meant to shout. (NO here). This is a car that wants to keep its following happy primarily through its competence and reliability.

After years on driving with my elbow on the center console cover in my Regal, the vinyl now has a dimple/tear about the size of a quarter. Incidentally, it's burgundy colored vinyl. No big deal, but if it's a cheap fix, I'll do it. The console cover comes off so it can be taken somewhere. What's usually involved in something like this? Is it expensive? I know that, when used cars come in, they are accustomed to making these fixes.

Smokey and the Bandit

Funny. I used to live at the northernmost reaches of Kirkland off I-405. Issaquah is a nice area.

spendthrift

expensive

Reg, I like the way you think. Exactly. Look at all those ads for realtors. They have a cute slogan, wedding invitation calligraphy, and try real hard to differentiate themselves based on...well...nothing.I think if I were to see an attorney's yellow page ad that said, for example: JD, Columbia University BA, Boston College Av rated by Martindale Hubbell I know that person has been SERIOUSLY filtered. I couldn't pull that off. True, tax deductions come into play than if you an employee on someone's payroll. Usually, RE sales is the secondary and discretionary income.

I tend to be more sympathetic to someone who makes this a full-time job and has to bust their ass to make ends meet, rather than someone who is married to someone in the statistically most well paid profession and, given the small child she was tugging along, does it as a side gig. That's why I have to purchase over a 3-day weekend so it fits into her schedule, obviously.

surgeon

dirty Looky-here, post 2000. Time to go to work.

detergent